Symmetry in Life
by LilGray-is-Saoirse-Konstantin
Summary: Rewrite of that horrible end in the Season Four finale of Veronica Mars. MAJOR SPOILERS for season four. LoVe lives on.


A/N: So this has **MAJOR SPOILERS** for Season Four of Veronica Mars. Don't read if you don't know how it ends. I didn't like the ending so I rewrote it. LoVe lives on.

**Symmetry in Life**

**By Lilly Gray**

Dad saved the day. Thank God. I'd be lost without him. He managed to diffuse the bomb before it could kill him and that jackass Penn. With a glance around, I take in all the cops milling around. The crime scene tape surrounds all the seats and my car, too. I probably won't get it back for a while, so I dart my gaze around and spot the officer putting Penn into the back of a cruiser. I have a few choice words for him so I walk over and lean down towards the open window. With a frown firmly on my face I tell him, "Those were real people you killed, it wasn't a game."

He sighs and says, "Those weren't people, Mars, those were spring-breakers, locusts, barbarians at the gate." A smile flashes on his face before he shifts and almost bounces in his seat and says, "Hey ya know what? I bet I get married in prison. Some lonely hottie is gonna start sending me letters. There will be a whole free Penn Epner movement: t-shirts, merchandise, a go-fund me page. Face it, Mars, I'm always a few steps ahead." He does his version of a smirk that's only half a smirk and says, "My contingencies have contingencies and I'm gonna have the time of my life." After sitting back in his seat he says with a smile, "You've made me famous. Piece of advice, if you don't agree to play yourself in the inevitable documentary, they're just gonna hire some shit actress to play you in the reenactment, so you might want to talk to some agents. I'll give you some names."

I almost gag so I resist the very real urge to throw up on him and instead tell him, "You're repulsive."

He gives me that damn half smirk again and says, "I'll tell you what, Hero, if you're still around, come visit me in prison. We'll reassess, I mean, after we process all of this." He gives me an evil laugh and I frown and then stand straight and walk away before he yells, "You threw me in the Brier patch, Mars."

I ignore him but then what he said before the brier patch comment really registers and I stop and replay his words, "I'll tell you what, Hero, if you're still around, come visit me in prison. We'll reassess, I mean after we process all of this." He rhymed. It's a clue. And his other limerick was, "Three Laps around the sun I'll be gloating. 'Bout more beautiful bodies exploding. Their flesh we will squeegee, mid-day round Fiji. Plus the Heroes upon whom we're doting."

Oh God, I'm the hero from the limerick, not the Fiji sandwich shop. This bomb here was to set up the real bomb. Glancing around again I spot the nearest officer and wave him over.

When he reaches me he asks, "Can I help you, Ms. Mars?"

With a brisk nod I tell him, "I think there is a bomb in my car. If I'm right, it's in the black backpack Penn placed in my backseat under the guise of it being his surveillance gear. You should probably have the bomb squad check it out."

His eyes are wide but he nods and hurries off and I walk over to my dad and Wallace and say, "Penn's a dick and I'm pretty sure the final bomb is still in my car. I told an officer so I'm guessing I might be late to my wedding."

Dad hugs me and kisses the top of my head but then pulls back and says, "Um, did you forget to mention that you're getting married? I thought you turned him down?"

With a real smile on my face I tell him, "I changed my mind and we're supposed to meet Logan at four at the county court house. I didn't want us distracted so I kept it to myself."

He pulls me back into his arms and says, "Congratulations, Honey." He lifts his arm behind my back and then says, "It's only half past noon. You've got some time."

I shrug and tell him, "I hope so because I'm hoping to keep as many of the details from today out of my future conversations with Logan. Having to explain that I'm gonna be late to our wedding because there is a bomb in my car will kind of defeat that goal."

After glancing at Wallace who has a wide smile on his face I ask, "You gonna come watch Logan make an honest woman out of me?"

His grin gets even wider and he says, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

I match his smile before the officer comes over and says, "You were right, so we need you to move back in case it blows."

Why do I always have to be right? Just once I wouldn't mind being wrong, or at least not about crazy serial killers being done with their work. But at least I caught it in time. The three of us move behind a new perimeter and watch as the bomb squad robot approaches my car.

Three hours later, I rush into my apartment and forgo a shower, pulling my hair into a low ponytail and slipping on my white dress. After glancing in the mirror I stop and consider my outfit. Lilly would be bitching that it's white cotton. Should I change? I have a red dress, but I kind of want to do this the traditional way so with a shake of my head I grab my shoes. Once my shoes are on I pick up my phone and my purse and head to the courthouse.

When I get there, I stride into the building and find my dad waiting for me in the hallway. He smiles and says, "There she is. You look beautiful, Honey."

With a grin of my own, I eye his tan suit and grab his tie and say, "Wow, you went full Windsor. It's fancy."

After nodding slightly he asks, "Where's Logan?"

I shrug and tell him, "Uh, he's been running errands all day. He does not know the details of our brush with death and my vote is to keep it that way."

Dad puts his finger to his lips and with a chipper voice says, "Hmm, it's like you're married already."

A frown forms on my face before I ask, "You seem awfully jovial. Did you tip a couple back before you came here?"

His grin knows no bounds even while he happily says, "No, no, I was just sitting there and it dawned on me how little this wedding is going to set me back." He takes out his wallet and unfolds it before asking, "How much was that license? Twenty bucks?"

With a chuckle I tell him, "Sixty."

His eyes get big and he purses his lips before he folds up his wallet and says, "Oooh, that's a little rich for my blood." He holds up a finger and waves it and says, "Oh there was one other thing."

His smile is contagious so leaning closer, I lower my voice and tell him, "A hush fell over the crowd."

He makes me wait for it and then says, "I got my medical report back from Big Dick's fancy Beverly Hills doctors and it turns out my brain is fine. It was an improper combination of my many and sundry medications that were causing my brain slips. Doc said we adjust that and I get a hip replacement and I'm back to being Neptune's go-to crime buster and most eligible bachelor."

A weight lifts off my chest and it's suddenly easier to breathe so I hug him but when I pull back, I frown a little and say, "I don't think headless Dick is going to spring for that hip replacement."

Dad shakes his head but still has a smile firmly on his face when he says, "No, but our reward money was transfered into our account this afternoon. Don't look now, but we may both be having the greatest day of our lives."

My hand goes to my chest before I ask, "Is that what this foreign sensation is? It's so pleasurable. I could get used to this."

Dad and I share a smile and then Wallace chooses that moment to walk through the door in a dark grey suit and says, "Sorry I'm late. Shay's in court and the babysitter was late."

With a smirk I tell them, "Man, using the babysitter was late excuse, when required, seems like the best reason to have kids."

Wallace and Dad both narrow their eyes and shake their heads before Wallace says, "Don't have children, Veronica." Dad nods.

Then Wallace stuffs his hands in his pants pockets and asks, "Where's the groom? He's Mr. Punctuality."

After the day we've had, the weight is back. Logan's never late, not since joining the Navy. I ask, "Yeah, where is that guy?" and lift my phone to text him when a message pops up on my screen.

The weight becomes a full on elephant crushing my chest and my heart breaks. "Sorry." He texted Sorry. That's all I get? After he worked so hard to get me to say yes, all I'm left with is a five letter text?

Dad asks, "Veronica?"

I just stare at my phone and when I finally look up Wallace asks, "What, what's it say?"

I show him the text and he reads it, "Sorry."

Dad puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "Oh, Honey."

Wallace says, "That's it? Sorry? Where does he get off? I mean really where does he get off?"

The judge comes out and while he slides his robe over his shoulders he says, "Echolls-Mars Wedding?"

A lump has taken up residence in my throat and I open my mouth but no sound comes out so Dad says, "I'm afraid there's been a change."

Just as the tears begin to well up in my eyes a voice calls from down the hall, "Hold on. I'm coming."

My head turns and I watch while Logan jogs towards me. When he reaches me he says, "Let's do this thing."

I just stare at him while my heart begins beating again and the elephant shifts and begins to rise off my chest. I must have stared too long because he asks, "What?"

"We thought you weren't com-ing." I barely recognize the crack in my voice.

With a frown he says, "I'm four minutes late and I pre-apologized."

Now it's my turn to frown and I ask, "With a text saying 'Sorry?'"

The judge speaks up and says, "I'll give you a couple of minutes."

Logan holds up his hand and shakes his head before saying, "No, stay right there. I texted 'Sorry, I'm running a few minutes late.'"

Holding up my phone so he can see it I tell him, "Well, this is what I got."

He takes my phone in his hand and reads it and frowns and says, "I can see how that'd be confusing. I dictated the text. I blame Siri," He gives me a shining smile and finishes, "but I'm here now and there is no place I'd rather be."

My grin from earlier returns and the elephant completely leaves the premises.

The judge smiles and says, "Excellent, follow me."

Logan shakes his head again and says, "We'll be there in a sec. We're just waiting on a few people."

With a raised eyebrow, I ask, "Who are we waiting on?"

He grins and says, "My Best Men. Dick is understandably upset so I sent my buddy, Kevin, to go collect him. I think you'll agree that we'd never hear the end of it if Dick's not here and Kevin's my other best friend so…"

I grin and ask, "So I finally get to meet one of your super duper secret squirrel Navy friends?"

He returns my smile and says, "Yes Ma'am. I figured it was time and we have a business proposal to run by you and Keith some other day so I figured I'd have my best friends both present on the happiest day of my life and simultaneously open the door to us running our idea by you."

Dad chuckles and asks, "How long have you known her, Logan, and you're dangling a mystery carrot in front of her already?"

The three most important men in my life all chuckle while Logan shrugs and two men in suits appear in the hallway. Dick has bloodshot eyes and leans on the other guy while they walk and his hair is still wet like he just took a shower. The other guy has to be military based just on his close cropped brown hair and the rod you could probably line up down his back he's standing so straight even while he half supports, half drags Dick down the hall and the sleeves of his gray suit appear darker than the rest of his suit like they're just as wet as Dick's hair.

Logan turns and grins and asks, "Was I right? Did you have to manhandle him into the shower?"

The man I don't know frowns and says, "Yes and you better be paying with more than re-gifted milk shake money this time. I did not sign up for being anyone's fucking lady's maid."

Logan chuckles and says, "I'll see what I can arrange but you are still alive so…"

The man laughs and says, "That's gonna get old, real fast, Man."

My love wraps his arm around my waist and says, "I invited you to a family only event to be one of my two best men, does that qualify as payment?"

The guy quirks his lips and hums before saying, "It'll do this time." When he and Dick get close enough to touch, the man pulls Dick to a stop and steadies him by grabbing a fist full of his probably very expensive black suit jacket after Dick lurches forward. Once Dick stops wobbling, the man then reaches out with the hand not holding Dick upright and says, "Kevin Ricks, Ma'am. Congratulations."

With a grin of my own, my gaze meets his striking hazel eyes and I take his hand and pump it a few times and tell him, "Thank you. But none of this Ma'am stuff, I'm Veronica."

He grins and inclines his head before saying, "Congratulations, Veronica."

With a single nod I tell him, "Thanks, I'm glad Logan has his two best friends standing by his side for this."

He nods and says, "Hey, I've spent most of my professional life having his six so there's no where else we'd rather be, right, Mr. Casablancas?"

Dick sort of jerks like he just woke from a fog and glances around and when his eyes land on Logan and me his lip trembles for a few seconds before he squares his shoulders and says, "Ronnie, Logan's finally making an honest woman out of you?"

I may hate his father and I may think Dick is an idiot who is wasting what little intelligence he has on getting laid by anything that moves but I know he means a lot to Logan and I can begrudgingly admit I'd be sad if he wasn't here if only because I know Logan would be sad.

I nod and tell him, "He sure is. Glad you could make it. I know the last few days have probably been really rough for you and I'm grateful you managed to be here for Logan and me despite the recent tragedy in your life."

He frowns and says, "You hate my dad."

I shrug and tell him, "I thought your dad was a greedy asshole who got innocent people killed but that opinion does not extend to you. You play the bumbling idiot most of the time and you do it better than anyone else but when it counts you've always been there for Logan and that means something to me. We may not have always gotten along, but I can put that behind me if you're willing to do the same."

He grins and says, "Sounds good, Ronnie."

Despite myself I smile at the old nickname but before anyone can say anything the judge comes back and says, "Are we still on?"

Logan's grin widens and he says, "We're right behind you."

The judge turns around and heads back towards the door and as we walk Logan says, "Maybe later you can explain why Principal Clemmons was on the radio describing you as a hero. I didn't get to hear the whole thing."

With a nod I tell him, "Oh yeah, maybe."

He smiles at me and squeezes my hand before we stand in front of some rose bushes that aren't blooming yet and the Justice of the Peace.

The judge smiles and asks, "Do you, Logan, take Veronica as your lawfully wedded wife?"

With a brisk nod he says, "I do."

"And do you, Veronica, take Logan as your lawfully wedded husband?"

I pause and consider, do I really want to marry him? Yes, despite all the failed marriages I've seen I want to spend the rest of my life with him so I smile and then shrug and say, "Yeah, why not?" causing everyone to chuckle.

The judge says, "By the power invested in me by the State of California, I pronounce you husband and wife."

I just stare up at my husband before he asks, "Is this where we kiss?"

We both glance at the Judge who shakes his head with a smile to match both of ours before he says, "I'm a civil servant, that's your call."

Logan has a twinkle in his eye so I tell him, "Let's go for it."

He smiles and shows all his pearly whites and says, "I'm nothing if not traditional," and then he leans down and kisses me. Everyone claps and when he pulls away I lean back in and kiss him a second time.

Dick says, "Go get a room."

That sounds like a fine idea so I pull away and take my _husband's_ hand and we walk back into the courthouse. Dad hugs me and Logan shakes Kevin's hand and says, "I'll be in touch soon."

Kevin grins and says, "Not too soon or you'll never live it down."

Logan smirks and says, "No, not too soon," then he turns and gives Dick a hug and says something I can't hear.

Dick nods and says, "Thanks." Logan pats his shoulder and then retakes my hand and squeezes before leading me out of the building and to my car.

Half an hour later we're in our bathroom and while I pack my toiletries, I explain about my day before the wedding and tell him, "It was weird. He was gloating. Acting like going to prison was all part of his plan and like he had won. He kept talking about the eventual true crime documentary and saying if I'm still around, I should stop by prison so he can gloat. And that's when I realized he had a second bomb and it was in my car. The bomb squad checked and sure enough he had a bomb in his backpack so they took it out of the car and detonated it and then checked my car over with a fine toothed comb before giving it back to me."

Logan frowns and asks, "But it's all clear?"

I nod so he smiles and glances at his phone and says, "Good, so, Sedona's main attraction is it's array of Red Sand Stone formations."

With a smirk I tell him, "Second thing we'll do once we get there."

He lowers his hand with the phone in it and steps up behind me and kisses my neck before saying, "It's a seven hour drive, leave here by six get there by two a.m."

After sighing I lean into him and say, "That's eight hours, Einstein."

Through the mirror I watch while his smile grows and he says, "Plus one because they're Mountain Time, so there."

I chuckle and say, "Ah shit you're right." He steps away from me and I tell him, "I think I'm gonna shower first."

He nods and leaves the bathroom. A minute later he says something but I can't make it out so I call out, "What?"

He replies but I still can't make out what he said so I raise my voice and say, "Logan?" and then it dawns on me, "Wait a minute, Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time." Leaving the bathroom I call out again, "Logan?"

No response so I glance into the living room and he's not there. Then I go into the bedroom and he's not there either so I step up to the window and open it and there he is so I say, "Hey they don't do daylight savings time in Arizona so I'm claiming half credit, even though…"

He stops and turns and takes off his glasses and asks, "Yeah?"

I'm having a brain fart though so I ask, "What's the time difference in Fiji? Penn's Limerick, Mid-day 'round Fiji."

A parking enforcement car rolls closer to Logan so he says, "Yeah hold that thought," then he holds up his hand and tells the car, "I'm moving it."

I close the window while he gets into the car and I start packing again. The time difference won't leave me alone though so I grab my phone and look up the time difference with Fiji. Five hours and noon is in, I glance at the clock, one minute. And then it hits me, it would have gone off right now, with Logan in my car and I'd already be a widow. I barely manage to land my butt on the bed and not the floor when my legs give out on me and I just sit there taking in slow deep breaths, or trying to. I wasn't kidding about sticking my head in the oven if I lost Dad and Logan and I came so close to losing both of them today. God, too damn close. The tears pour down my cheeks without my say so and I wipe them away but more just replace them and that's how Logan finds me, sitting on our bed, clutching his shirt and bawling.

He pauses in the doorway and asks, "Veronica? What's wrong?" His voice trembles and it occurs to me that he might think I'm having second thoughts so I manage to get out between sobs, "You would have died… not me. The bomb… would have gone off in my car," I glance at the clock and then say, "Four minutes ago… with you driving it. I almost lost you and Dad both today."

He lets out a sigh and then strides towards me and kneels in front of me and after wiping the tears from my cheeks he takes my hands in his and says, "But you didn't lose me or your Dad. You're dad defused the bomb at the high school in time and you figured out Penn's twisted game before I could be hurt. You saved me in more ways than one. I'm right here and I'm okay and while I can't promise to never die, I do promise to fight like hell to stay alive and with you. I'm making plans to make that easier. That's what Kevin and I want to talk to you about. My billet ends this time next year and his ends the month before mine. We figure with our Black Ops training and our contacts and Kevin's computer skills the two of us could go into business with you and your dad, make it a foursome."

My eyes widen before I ask, "Black ops? What happened to Naval Intelligence?"

He gives me that grin that simultaneously makes me want to hit him and kiss him silly and says, "Naval Intelligence is our cover, but we're married now and yeah I probably should have waited until the Navy has you sign an NDA but I trust you, Veronica. You would never put me or my guys in harms way by speaking out of turn so, yeah, I'm in Black Ops, which is a branch of Naval Intelligence so I didn't lie, not really."

I just stare at him. The love of my life is in Black Ops? WTC dude. He shrugs and says, "Anyway, our idea would make it so you and I would be able to rest easier at night knowing we're the ones having each other's backs and that we're not relying on other people to do what we both know you and I would do better. I mean I know without a doubt that no one, not even my fellow sailors, would have my back as diligently as you would and I think you know the same is true in reverse. The only person who has your back as much as me is your dad and he already does that. Anyway, don't say anything about it now. Just think on it. Kevin and I both have one more year of active duty and then I'll have two years of Reserve and he'll have three so we can't really go into business full time with you until we're on Reserves, but maybe I could help out a bit when I'm on leave and we can see how it works."

Okay, so he's Black Ops. He kind of hinted at it anyway and so he's right he didn't lie and even if he did, I get that he couldn't tell me as his girlfriend and he told me almost as soon as we tied the knot so he clearly wanted to be honest about it, so I wipe at my eyes and ask, "You mean it? You'd leave the Navy and go into business with me?"

He nods and says, "Yeah, I mean even if it's just as security like on the Maloof case where you and your dad are working the mystery and Kevin and me could work the security angle. I think it could work. Think of the spouses who have violent partners and want to get away. My mom could have used a team like that to get away and I kind of like the symmetry it'd give my life if I was helping you help people like me and my mom get out of tough situations."

I like the symmetry, too, so I throw my arms around him and tell him, "I don't have to think about it. If you and Kevin want to team up with me and Dad, then I'm game. We can talk to Dad about it when we get back from our honeymoon."

He gives me a gentle squeeze and kisses the side of my head before pulling back a little and asking, "You still planning to take a shower before we leave?"

With a shrug I tell him, "I don't know, I already wasted time having a melt down."

He grins and says, "Veronica it was likely the last of your adrenaline dropping. You had a high impact day so that's normal and I think if we shower together we can conserve water and get done faster…"

I raise an eyebrow at that and ask, "You seriously think showering together will make us go faster?"

He laughs and shrugs and says, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

With a chuckle, I lean in towards him and kiss him before sliding off the bed and walking towards the bedroom door. I unzip my dress while I walk and then look over my shoulder and ask, "Well, are you coming? Or am I flying solo, Sailor?"

He rises and unbuttons his shirt and slides off his jacket before dropping them on the bed and telling me, "I'm right behind you, wife."

A giggle escapes my throat without my permission and I slap my hand over my mouth and then glare at him and in between my fingers I tell him, "That never happened."

He laughs and says, "By law I can't share your secrets anymore, spousal privilege, so your secret is safe with me."

With a grin I drop my dress and then head to the bathroom and we don't make it into the car by six so it's after four in the morning by the time we pull into our hotel in Sedona.

**The End**

**(Until I Finish Writing the Sequel)**


End file.
